7 Levels of Leadership Consciousness

Introduction
The art of being an effective leader is more than learning how to
empower others and produce results. It is about understanding self.
Self-knowledge is the gateway to realising your fullest potential, the
potential of your employees and your organisation.
As you align with your deepest motivations and begin to balance your
inner and outer needs, you tap into your emotional intelligence and your
deepest levels of productivity and creativity. You learn that your
success in business is intimately linked to who you are.

The Seven Levels of Leadership Consciousness:

Level 1. Authoritarian:
Authoritarians are strongly motivated by the need to control. They use a
dictatorial style to get what they want because they find it difficult
to relate to people in an open and caring way. They are afraid of their
emotions. They don't ask. They give orders. They are afraid to let go of
the reins of power because they have great difficulty in trusting
others. The greater their fears, the more risk averse they become. They
are quick to anger and feel uncomfortable discussing emotions. If they
have insecurities around money, they will exploit others for their own
ends. Authoritarian's can create emotionally unhealthy climates in which
to work.

Level 2. Paternalist:
Paternalists are motivated by the need to form relationships. They are
basically authoritarians who need to be liked. Unfortunately, their need
to be liked cannot overcome their need to control. So they become
benevolent dictators. They are protective of their people, but demand
loyalty, discipline and obedience in return. They will ask your opinion
in order to make you feel they care, but will go ahead and do what they
want anyway. In this sense they are manipulative. The fears of
paternalists are such that they find it very difficult to trust others.

This type of consciousness often shows up in family-run businesses.
Anyone outside the family is not to be trusted. This severely limits the
pool of talent from which the organisation can draw. Paternalists
create environments, which kill the entrepreneurial spirit of employees.

Level 3. Manager:
Managers are motivated by the need for order and respect. They regard
what they do as a science. They enjoy structure, measurement and
rational analysis. Exercising their intellect has a strong appeal.
Inwardly focused managers are good at organising information and
monitoring results. Outwardly focused managers anticipate workflow
problems and get things done. They are productive and accomplish goals.
They plan and prioritise their work and provide stability and
continuity. They create schedules and enjoy being in control. They focus
on training for skills and want to learn the latest management
techniques.

When managers' needs for respect are driven by subconscious fears, they
become ambitious and competitive. They will play office politics to get
what they want and they will avoid giving their boss bad news. Their
need for order can get them stuck in status quo. Their need for rewards
can lead them to work long hours and neglect their families. Mangers
create environments, which are productive and efficient, but can be very
demanding if they are not balanced.

Level 4. Facilitator:
Facilitators are in transition. They are learning to release their fears
to move from being outer-directed to being inner-directed. They are in
the process of self-actualisation. As they let go of their need for
approval, they begin to discover who they really are.

As they let go of their need to control, they invite participation and
consensus building. They become enablers - helping others to express
themselves. They are no longer wedded to their career. Now they want to
develop their vision and work on their mission. They want work which
aligns with their inner passion, and they want to learn about themselves
through training which focuses on personal growth. They become more
open and innovative, and begin to search for balance in their lives.
Balance leads to detachment and independence, and allows them to become
objective about their strengths and weaknesses. They focus on
interpersonal communication skills, conflict resolution and team
building. Facilitators are in the process of shifting from being a
manager to being a leader.

Level 5. Collaborator:
Collaborators are motivated by the need to find meaning. One of the ways
they find meaning is through creating community. They are engineers of
human capital and they build trust. They are more concerned about
getting the best result for everyone than for their own self-interest.
They are flexible, adaptive and focused on values. They walk their talk.
They are creative problem solvers. They recognise that they don't have
to have all the answers. They are willing to be vulnerable. They are
honest and truthful and are willing to confront people and their mangers
because they have little fear. They feel confident in handling any
situation.

This confidence and openness allows them to reclassify problems as
opportunities. They are authentic, democratic and enthusiastic. They are
intuitive and creative. They clarify priorities, communicate vision,
and plan for the long-term. They display emotional as well as
intellectual intelligence. Collaborators are good at bringing the best
out of their people.

Level 6. Servant/Partner:
Servant/partners are motivated by the need to make a difference and be
of service to those whom they lead. They serve the organisation by
creating partnerships and strategic alliances with external
organisations. At the same time, they care for their people, seeking
ways to ensure employees find personal fulfilment through their work.

They view situations from a systems perspective; seeing beyond the
narrow boundaries of cause and effect. They build systems, which support
employees, and they seek to form mutually beneficial alliances with
suppliers and customers. They are active in the local community and
building relationships, which create goodwill. They recognise the
importance of environmental and social stewardship and will go beyond
the letter of the law in making their operations environmentally
friendly.

They are empathetic and careful listeners. They are also mentors and
coaches. Servant/partners create supportive internal and external
linkages, which build commitment and goodwill.

Level 7. Wisdom /Visionary:
Wisdom/visionary leaders are motivated by the need to be of service to
the world. They are constantly asking, "How can I help?" Their vision is
global. They see their own mission and that of their organisation from a
societal perspective.

For them the world is a complex web of interconnectedness, and they know
they have an important role to play. They play their role with
humility. They are generous, forgiving, compassionate and able to relate
to people at all levels. They are concerned about the state of the
world - peace, justice, ethics and ecology, and they are concerned for
future generations.

They are not prepared to compromise long-term outcomes for short-term
gains. They enjoy solitude and are at ease with uncertainty. Visionary
leaders are admired for their wisdom, vision and commitment to ethics.

Every individual like every organisation has attributes, which are
distributed, across the seven levels of consciousness. No one is ever
focused solely at one level.

The values of most leaders are clustered around two or three adjacent
levels of higher consciousness. Sometimes they hold organisational
values, which are situated in the higher levels of consciousness, but
have personal values that are focused in the lower levels of
consciousness.

Such individuals may form wonderful strategic alliances with external
partners, but are terribly demanding and unsympathetic to their direct
staff. They still have a lot of deeply ingrained personal fears around
being liked or respected.

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